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Duomo of San Gimignano
"The Cathedral of San Gimignano is without a doubt one of the city’s most important monuments. The interior of this basilical-plan church is characterised by fourteen classical Tuscan stone columns, ten of which are round, the other four octagonal. The walls of the church are entirely lined with frescoes that recount Stories of the New and Old Testaments painted by illustrious artists of the fourteenth-century Sienese school. The cycle of frescoes of the New Testament on the right wall is a masterpiece by Lippo and Federico Memmi. This pictorial cycle with its great evocative power and splendid iconography was clearly inspired by the canons of Simone Martini. On the left wall, the Stories of the Old Testament were painted in 1367 by Bartolo di Fredi. The interior also presents polychrome decorations typical of medieval churches, such as the magnificent cross vault painted blue and the intrados of the arches separating the nave from the aisles decorated with a striped motif typical of the Tuscan taste. The Cathedral also holds a precious Renaissance jewel, the Chapel of Santa Fina, where three famous Florentine artists worked: an architect, Giuliano da Maiano, a sculptor, Benedetto da Maiano and a painter, Domenico Ghirlandaio. This masterpiece is dedicated to San Gimignano’s best-loved saint. When just a girl, Fina contracted a serious illness and chose to spend the rest of her days lying on a wooden board that at the moment of her death burst into bloom with violets. Every year in March the violets of Santa Fina blossom luxuriant amidst the hard stone towers that give this medieval city its famous profile. "
Retrieved from the official Duomo website:http://www.duomosangimignano.it